


Starfire Finds A New Friend

by J0hnny0hm



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Cross-Posted on deviantArt, G/T, Gen, Size Difference, borrower, character x reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J0hnny0hm/pseuds/J0hnny0hm
Summary: Starfire finds and befriends a borrower (you).
Relationships: Starfire & Reader
Kudos: 5





	Starfire Finds A New Friend

Starfire dragged her feet as she paced through the halls of Titans Tower. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy had left the tower to hang out. Raven, as per usual, had retreated to her room for some peace and quiet that often wouldn’t be there when the boys were around, rowdy as they were. As such, this was one of those days where Starfire was left to her own devices. After a fair bit of time spent simply meandering, she decided to give the television a chance.

However, as she walked past the kitchen, she heard a small rustling noise. She quickly stepped around the island in the middle of the kitchen to investigate. A fast food wrapper lay crumpled on the floor, probably the remains of one of Cyborg’s leftover burgers. Starfire leaned down to pick it up, only to see the wrapper shift a bit.

“Huh?” Strange as it had been to see it suddenly move, the wrapper went eerily still. Now that seemed very curious. Starfire reached again to grab the wrapper, only for it to suddenly dart up into the air! Starfire let out a quiet gasp as the wrapper lightly touched against her face before fluttering down gently to the floor, revealing nothing. But then, glancing ahead, she spotted a small form moving across the floor.

For their minuscule size, this figure was quite efficiently scampering away. Starfire stepped quickly after it, easily making up ground, but the tiny figure darted underneath the sofa. With no hesitation, she slipped her right hand underneath the sofa’s edge, gripped it lightly, and lifted the entire structure off the ground, revealing a light amount of lint and crumbs from underneath the sofa, as well as the remote (she made a mental note to tell the boys she found it).

And of course, the tiny figure was right in the middle. As she knelt down to lean in closer, it seemed as though their appearance was that of a human. This struck her as odd. No human, even an infant, was quite this small; this figure looked small enough to hold in her hand. That thought was enough for Starfire, without fully realizing it, to move her left hand towards the figure. It was the ensuing flinch and seeing them curl sharply inward that caused her to pull it back again.

This tiny figure was afraid of her. Starfire sighed solemnly. She supposed it couldn’t be helped, given her advantage in both size and strength. But she was determined to get to the bottom of this. Curling in all but her pointer finger, she reached out again.

* * *

Just your luck. The food-crazy boys had gone out and the quiet girl in blue stayed in her room all the time. The only factor that could’ve gone wrong today was the red-haired girl. And of _course_ , that’s exactly what had happened! Aside from the obvious advantage in size, the girl’s strength was unreal. She was lifting the entire sofa off the ground with only one hand! And when the other hand descended, you scrambled back a few inches until you just curled into yourself. You wanted to run, but you knew enough about the teenagers dwelling in this building to know that you were outmatched ten, maybe a hundred times more than if you were dwelling in the home of a regular human.

A few seconds passed, and then you felt contact. You flinched as goosebumps flared up all over your arms, legs, back, and face, all of which grew warm from the sudden stress. But it wasn’t a grasping hand you felt. Rather, it was a poke against your back. About five seconds passed before you felt another. A second wave of goosebumps passed through you, though slightly weaker this time.

“Excuse me?”

Despite how the red-haired girl towered over you, her voice was small and soft. And despite her incredible strength, her pokes had felt much gentler than you would have expected them to be.

“I mean you no harm, little one. I only wish to talk.”

Slowly, you unfurl yourself and turn around to face this girl. Summoning courage from who knows where, you get on your feet and speak to her. “Could you… put that down first?” You stepped sideways as the girl carefully lowered the sofa back to its spot on the floor. She knelt down to the ground, placing both hands in her lap.

“I am Starfire,” she said. “Who are you?”

After a moment of hesitation, you respond. “I’m [Y/N].”

“It is good to meet you, [Y/N].” Starfire moved her right hand towards you. Survival instincts kicking in again, you flinch back in surprise. But rather than being grabbed, her hand stops a few paces away from you, sideways and open-faced. “On this planet, it is common to greet those you meet with a shaking of the hands, yes?”

“Er… okay.” You are questioning every move you make as you step closer to the offered appendage. Taking a deep breath, you reach out, place your own, considerably smaller hands on either side of Starfire’s middle finger. More goosebumps follow as you guide the large hand up and down, feeling her move in time with your motions. After a few seconds, you let go and exhale the breath you’d been holding. “Hello… Starfire...” You blinked. “I’m sorry. You said... ‘on this planet’?”

Starfire nodded. “I was born on a planet called Tamaran.”

“So… you aren’t a Bean?”

Starfire squinted her eyes, appearing puzzled. “No, I am not the ‘musical fruit’.”

“What? No! I-” You take a moment to pick your words carefully. “A bean like… a human bean. You aren’t human.”

“Oh!” Starfire nodded. “That is correct.” She leaned down to get a closer look. You take a step back out of instinct, having never seen a dweller this closely before, let alone been face to face with one who looked so curious about you. “And what of you? You look very much like a human, yet you are much smaller than any I have seen. Have you been shrunk?”

“Uh… no, I haven’t,” you assure her. “I’ve always been this size. I’m a Borrower.”

“What is a Borrower?” Starfire asked, ever inquisitive.

“We live in the walls of human homes,” you explain. “We borrow things from humans. Bits of food, tiny scraps of fabric for clothes, things people won’t notice when they go missing.”

“The word ‘borrow’ defines an intention to return, yes?” Starfire leaned in ever closer, her face slightly more than an arm’s reach away from you now. Her eyes had narrowed a bit, making her appear wary. “What are describing sounds like stealing.”

“Well…” You gulp, knowing you must answer carefully. “You’re not totally wrong. But remember the wrapper of food?” Starfire nodded. “Whoever was eating that food didn’t want what was left. Do you think it’s wrong to take scraps?” Starfire’s eyes wandered upward as she thought about it, then shook her head. “We take what humans don’t need or want in order to survive. Nothing more.”

The longer she listened, the more Starfire’s leery gaze softened. “If it is a matter of survival, I suppose I cannot blame you for needing to steal.” She shifted her position, laying down on her stomach and resting her head on her crossed arms, getting close as possible to being at eye-level with you. “But why must you hide from us, [Y/N]?”

A pit forms in your stomach. “The thing about Borrowers… we’re not supposed to be seen by hu- er… dwellers,” you corrected, remembering you were speaking to an non-human. “Not ever.”

“Why not?” Starfire asked sympathetically.

“If a Borrower is caught, they usually aren’t seen or heard from ever again.” Your clenched a fist as you felt your eyes begin to water, trying not to reopen that old wound. “It… happened to my parents.”

Starfire gasped loudly, clasping a hand over her mouth. “That is terrible!” she cried out. “How could someone be so cruel??”

You sniffle a bit, wiping your eyes clear of the few tears that you couldn’t hold back. All things considered, it's a wonder you've kept this calm. “People think of Borrowers as pests. Tiny creatures living in the walls, getting into your food… kind of like mice, if you think of it that way. It’s not totally their fault. It’s just the nature of humans.”

“That does not make it right!” Starfire declared. She set her palms on the ground and pushed herself up, inching forward on hands and knees until she loomed just in front of you. But now her eyes, instead of showing suspicion, now gleamed with sympathy. “I am sad to learn of what’s happened to your parents and other Borrowers, [Y/N]. And I do not wish for you to suffer that fate.”

You tilted your head. “What do you mean?”

“I wish to help you.” Starfire moved her right hand forward, then turned it over so that her palm faced upward. “And I wish for you to be my friend.”

As you looked at up at Starfire and your eyes locked with hers, you weren’t certain if you’d ever witnessed a person express themselves so openly, honestly, or sincerely. As you’d been talking to her, the sensation of wanting to run away had started dissipating without you even noticing. It was in this moment you realized that the urge had vanished entirely, and now this girl’s hand was offered to you in friendship. A few paces is all that separates where you stood from one of the most important decisions you would ever make… and before you knew it, you'd taken that chance and were now standing on Starfire’s palm.

She shifted herself carefully, keeping her hand level as she rose to her feet and straightened her posture, after which she lifted her right hand upward. Before long, you found yourself once again in the center of her gaze. The longer she stared, the more her gaze seemed to sparkle… was it amazement? Of you? That felt a little strange, and yet flattering as well.

It was barely a moment after fully reading her expression when you felt a sudden shift. Starfire’s hand moved up towards her right shoulder and tipped forward. You almost yelled, anticipating a fall, but just as soon as your support had been taken away, the flat of her hand turned vertically. She covered your body up to the middle of your back, holding you gently… then a little more firmly… Oh jeez, this girl gives very tight hugs!

“I officially welcome you to Titans Tower, [Y/N]!” Starfire declared loudly, spinning around in circles from her elation. “I cannot wait for you to meet my friends!”

And with that: your life in Titans Tower, out of hiding, had begun.

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by two things.  
> 1) MCU Character x Borrower posts I saw on Tumblr. I thought Starfire would be a good fit for this format.  
> 2) The Secret World of Arrietty (or just Arrietty in some territories) is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> (Originally posted on DeviantArt in late 2018.)


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